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Marking the five-year anniversary of Obama's drone wars

On Jan. 23, 2009, Barack Obama launched his first drone strike three days into his presidency, reportedly killing at least nine civilians in North Waziristan. Over the past five years, the Obama administration has escalated the military operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, despite the controversy over their use.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which has steadily tracked U.S. drone strikes, says that attacks under the Obama administration have killed more than 2,400 people. According to their analysis, the number of drone strikes under Obama is eight times as much as the number of strikes launched during the Bush presidency.

Should be a rule that people who call drone strikes "surgical" should have to undergo actual surgery via armed drone.Rania Khalek

According to a March 2013 Pew survey, 61 percent of Americans supported the drone strikes abroad, though 53 percent said they were "very concerned" about whether the strikes endanger civilian lives in a February poll. About half of Americans do believe that drones have made the U.S. safer, a sentiment that is consistent along party lines.

pewresearch.org

One of the most common complaints of the Obama administration's drone program has been the lack of transparency surrounding strikes. Ben Emmerson, UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights, urged the U.S. to declassify information on its drone program in October to ensure that its actions are in accord with international humanitarian law.

Many on Twitter have also pointed to a lack of public conversation on the drone program.

Ponder the message the US sends when it refuses to acknowledge civilian casualties from drone strikes in #yemen.Adam Baron

There's a lot out there (not enough though) on civilian casualties of US covert #drone wars in Yemen & Pakistan - yet not in Somalia?Sana Saeed

Liberals shocked by an execution in Texas are silent on drone strikes in Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.Gerard Di Trolio

Activists have taken advantage of various social media outlets in an effort to force more transparency on the program. In addition to the many interactives on the topic, Twitter accounts like @dronestream, @drones and @dronewatchers are exclusively devoted to disseminating news on the use of drones. Naming the Dead, a project from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, identifies the victims of covert drone strikes, and Dronestagram gives a bird's eye view of areas struck by drones.

January 15th 2014: in the early hours of the morning, a drone fired two missiles at a person near the old city of Shibam. Several injuries reported, and one death, variously claimed as an Al-Qaeda suspect, or a passing farmer. #drone #drones #yemendronestagram.tumblr.com

What do you think of the U.S. drone program? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.